


Robin's Revenge

by justanoutlaw



Series: Confessions [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Future Fic, Healing, Monologue, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-06
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-03-14 12:38:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13590222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: Robin gets the best revenge he can on Cora.





	1. Graveyard

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by queen-of-the-merry-men: Confessions one word prompt. Revenge.
> 
> Takes place in the future, after Outlaw Queen is finally together.

Robin tried not to think of Cora. When he thought of the switch, he tried to imagine an incompetent nurse. Archie told him that denial would only hurt him and the girls more, it wasn’t healthy to the healing process. He just didn’t want to be angry anymore. He had a beautiful wife, four amazing children he loved more than wife itself, it was more than he ever dreamed.

 

So, after one of his rare closing shifts (he normally left those to Will), he drove down to the cemetery. After leaving a bouquet of wildflowers on Marian’s grave, he followed the instructions Regina had given him, flashlight in hand. Soon, he found himself in front of a rather large headstone. As nice as it was, there were no flowers or other decorations. Regina had told him that she hadn’t visited it, even before she got the letter. It just didn’t bring her peace. Robin was the opposite with Marian, even after his marriage with Regina became more than just a matter of convenience, he visited. Sometimes, he’d even bring Roland along. Regina didn’t mind it at all, she had come with him a couple of times.

 

“Hello Cora,” he said. “You don’t know me, but you do my daughters. Bryony…you didn’t view her s being good enough to be family and that’s a damn shame. She is a beautiful little girl, so smart and kind. She would’ve loved on you. But heck, you weren’t even there for Evie after she was born and she’s just as amazing. Regina’s world wasn’t what you wanted, so they weren’t what you wanted.”

 

He let out a deep shaky breath.

 

“I’ve thought about what I would do if you were alive. Would I scream at you? Sue you for the distress you’ve caused our family? Would there ever be a chance that we’d let you see them again, that you’d get to be apart of this family?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “The truth is, we’ll never receive justice for what you did. We’re a family now and I wouldn’t change a thing, because that would mean taking back Bryony, Evie, Henry and Regina. But you robbed me of three years with Evie, you robbed Regina of 3 years with Bryony. I feel like you deserve revenge of some sort.”

 

Robin pulled his phone of out of his pocket and looked at the lock screen. It was a photo of Evie and Bryony, giggling as they played. The sight was enough to melt his heart. He returned the phone and brought his eyes back to the grave.

 

“Then I remember what you wanted, to separate parents from children. It was your goal to cause such misery, a lifetime of it. So maybe, the best revenge I can get is to be happy, to love a wonderful life with my wife and four children, because rest assured, I love Henry just as much as I do my other kids. You caused us temporary pain, but it’s over now.” He nodded. “Well, my revenge, Cora, is that you won’t ruin my life another moment. I am happy, Regina’s happy and you can’t hurt us or our babies ever again.”

 

And as he walked out of the cemetery, it felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.


	2. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by anonymous on tumblr: Say it!
> 
> Takes place a little after Robin visits Cora. I will take more prompts for this verse as I work on the main one.

Robin thought they were doing fine, better than fine. It had been a year since they renewed their vows, since they took their marriage as something more than just a way to co-parent.

And then Regina began to pull away.

It was small at first. Her kisses didn’t linger as much, she was quieter. When he confronted her, she said that she was busy. She had gotten a high profile client and their wedding needed a lot of attention, but Robin didn’t buy it.

He was scared, damn scared. He remembered the first time he thought she was leaving and he fought like hell for her. She promised she’d never go and now...

He was so deeply in love with her. After his one night stand with Zelena, he hadn’t been heartbroken that she never called. Now, he wasn’t sure how he’d recover from losing Regina.

She came home late one evening, after all the kids had gone to bed. The mansion was more secluded than his old cottage styled house in the suburbs. It took months to get used to all the quiet once the kids fell asleep.

  
“How was your night?” She asked, removing her jacket.

“Busy. Bryony and Evie fought over that princess game, again.”

Regina shook her head. “I think it’s time we got rid of it for good.” She paused and then pursed her lips. “We need to talk.”

Robin’s heart thudded in his chest. Was this it? “Are you ready to tell me what’s going on?” He regretted his words when he saw her wince.

“I wanted to wait until I heard back from the doctor.”

Suddenly, his fears shifted. She wasn’t leaving him...at least not in the way he originally thought.

“I’m pregnant,” she said, quickly,

It took a moment for the words to register. “You’re...pregnant.”

“I know it wasn’t planned....and I know we already discussed this. We were good with 4. We have the girls and I love Roland as my own, just as you do Henry...but when I found out...I couldn’t help but feel a little excited. I get if you’re not,” she rambled on. “I just...I wanted to be sure before I upset you.”

“Upset me?” Robin got up. “Regina, this is shocking, but I have never been happier. All this time I worried something was wrong, but...” He trailed off and smiled. “We’re going to have another baby.”

Slowly, she nodded, smiling herself. “We are.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pecked her lips. “I love you, so much.”

“I love you too.”

“I’m getting a vasectomy after this, though.”

Regina laughed. “After Bryony, I’ll need another C-Section, I’ll ask them to tie my tubes after.”

“The kids will be thrilled. Do you know how often the girls ask for a baby brother?”

“Who knows, it could be a girl.”

“I guess we’ll see soon enough.”


	3. Adoption Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by anonymous on Tumblr: “Aren’t they a little old to be adopted?” Confessions verse regarding Henry and Roland?
> 
> This ended up being more Outlaw Believer than anything, I just feel like this subject is covered a lot more with Dimples Queen than them.

Robin knew that DNA didn’t have to make a family. He had spent 3 years loving a child with all he had, knowing that she wasn’t his biologically. Getting Evie in his life hadn’t changed how deeply he loved Bryony and he knew that.

 

He also knew that as much as both girls had crept their way into his hearts, so had a certain boy: Henry.

 

When he had first moved in with Regina, he had made it clear that he didn’t want to overstep. Obviously as Regina’s husband, he’d be able to enforce rules and such, but Henry was a good kid. He stayed out of trouble, helped out with his younger siblings and considered Roland the little brother he never had. He had adapted to the situation a lot better than any 11-year-old would and Regina chalked that up to him being an old soul. Even so, Robin knew that Henry never had a father before and was okay with that. He liked Robin, but they had more of a long lost uncle and nephew kind of vibe, than one of father and son.

 

Regina brought up adopting Roland first, around the same time that they were working out the adoptions for the girls. Even though they were married, there were certain things that they couldn’t do as the non-legal guardian of the child.

 

“I want to adopt Roland,” she said one night after all the kids had gone to bed.

Robin looked up from the bills he was paying. “You do?”

“I’ve known him for almost 2 years now, I love him just as much as I do the girls and Henry. He’s a part of this family, what does it say to him if I adopt his sister and not him?”

 

Robin paused for a moment, reflecting on her words. He knew deep down that she was right. Roland considered Regina his mother, he had even fallen into the habit of calling her “Mama” now that Bryony did the same. He had no objections to Roland being adopted, he would trust Regina with all of the kids if anything were to take him from them.

 

Yet…he thought about Henry. What would that say to him? If Regina was adopting Bryony and Roland, and Robin was adopting Evie…where did that leave Henry? Of course if anything happened to Regina, he would take custody of Henry in a heartbeat. There’d be no question about it in his mind. Yet, wouldn’t it just be simpler if it wasn’t even a process?

 

Plus…it wasn’t just about the what-ifs behind the future. He loved Henry, he considered him his son. He was his child, just as much as Roland was Regina’s. He never understood how a step-parent could be around a child for so long and feel nearly nothing for them. He wanted things to be legally binding.

 

It was still different. Roland, Bryony and Evie were younger. Roland had immediately jumped at the chance for Regina to officially be his mother and of course, Henry had blessed it. He was only 8, though, and had only been 6 when he met Regina. Henry had just celebrated his 13th birthday, he was getting older. Would he even want to be adopted by Robin?

 

Robin was so distracted by all that was going on, he had tuned out most of Will’s story about something cute his daughter had done. He and Anastasia had finally settled down, gotten married and started a family. Robin never thought he’d see the day when all Will wanted to talk about was babies, yet there it was.

 

“She smiled for the first time,” he said, excitedly. “A real smile, no gas or nothing.”

“That’s awesome.”

Will paused, his smile fading a bit. “You’re not here, are you?”

“What are you talking about? We’ve been sitting here for an hour.”

“Yeah and you’ve been zoning out for most of it. What’s going on?”

Robin sighed, rubbing his temples. “Regina’s adopting Roland…and I’ve been thinking about doing the same for Henry.”

“Aren’t they a little old to be adopted? Plus, you two are already married.”

“One, they’re not too old,” Robin said with an eye roll. “Two, being married doesn’t guarantee a lot. I can’t bring Henry to the doctor when he’s sick, if anything happened to me, Regina getting Roland wouldn’t be guaranteed.”

“I suppose I see your point thee. What does Regina think about you adopting Henry?”

“I haven’t told her yet, or spoken to Henry about it for that matter.”

“Why?”

“For the exact reason you said. He’s 13, for 11 years he didn’t even have a father figure in his life. It was just him and Regina, and I know they were fine with that.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “I thought Henry accepted you.”

“He has, but it’s not like he thinks of me as his dad and I’m okay with that. I like how things are, I love him like my own and I’ve told him that. It’s just…I want it to be official. I want to be able to say, this is my son, Henry.”

“So, adopt him.”

Robin threw his hands up in the air. “You say like it’s as easy as adopting a puppy.”

“So, maybe it’s not.” Will shrugged. “What I do know is, somehow you and Regina have managed to make this little family of yours work. You all love each other, the kids are well adjusted, things are great. If Henry has been this accepting thus far, what’s the harm in asking?”

“Because he could say no, okay?” Robin bit his lip. “And I’d never blame him for it, it’d just…it’d hurt a little.”

Will nodded. “Well, I’ll give you the same advice I did when you weren’t sure how Regina felt about you…you’ll never know until you try.”

 

It was simple advice, but it did give Robin the courage to talk to Regina about it nonetheless. She thought it was a great idea and was all for it. However, she also said it was her son’s choice and Robin would have to talk to him about it himself.

 

So, one day, Regina took the girls and Roland to the park to play and Robin took Henry to the bookstore. He let the teen pick out a few new novels and they grabbed some ice cream before walking around a bit.

  
“So…you know that I love you, right?” Robin asked.

Henry nodded, taking a bite of his rocky road. “Yeah, I love you too.”

The little comment made his heart skip a beat. “And you know that your mom is going to adopt Roland.”

He paused for a moment. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay with that?

“Yeah, I mean…yeah.”

“You can tell me how you really feel.”

Henry sighed, digging the toe of his sneaker into the dirt. “It’s just…when Roland, Evie and Bryony get adopted…you’re changing all of their last names to Locksley-Mills, right?”

“Yes.”

“And you and Mom changed your last names, too.”

“We did.”

“So…I’d be the only one with the last name Mills. Almost like…I’m not a part of the family.”

“Hey,” Robin touched his chin so he looked at him. “You will _always_ be a part of this family, Henry. No matter who has what last name.”

“I know. And I know that it shouldn’t matter…maybe it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid it at all. You know, the truth is, I don’t need a piece of paper for Bryony or Evie to be my daughters, I love them regardless. Yet, sometimes a piece of paper means a lot more than we want to give it credit for. It’s permanent, it means that nothing can change this.”

 

Henry was quiet for a moment, but then nodded. Robin let out a deep breath, hoping the next part would come out how he intended.

  
“I’ve been thinking lately that I need that piece of paper with you,” Robin said, finally. “I love you, Henry. I consider you as much my son as I do Roland. It’s okay if you don’t call me “Dad” or anything, I know for 11 years you were fine without a father figure. You took this whole situation with such grace, more than I think any kid your age would. You’re amazing, smart and talented, you’re a member of my family and I’d like to make it official.”

 

Reaching into his messenger bag, he pulled out one of the manila envelopes that Mal had given him to look over. It had Henry’s name scrawled out across the front. Robin handed it over to Henry and watched as he opened it, his eyes widening.

 

“You want to adopt me?” He whispered.

Robin nodded. “More than anything. What do you say?”

 

Henry was quiet for a bit more, before stopping at a bench and putting all his stuff down. Before Robin knew what was happening, Henry was throwing his arms around his waist and hugging him tighter than ever. A smile spread across Robin’s face and he hugged him tighter.

 

“I’m guessing that’s a yes?”

“It’s a yes,” Henry breathed. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“Of course it is.”

“Okay.”

“I love you, Henry.”

“I love you too…Dad.”


	4. Messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by anonymous on Tumblr: "I want to find my birth parents."
> 
> Takes place when Evie and Bryony are teenagers.

Robin knew when something was wrong with his daughter. It had taken time since he didn’t raise her from the day he was born, but he figured it out in time. While Bryony got quiet when she was upset, Evie got loud. She had more of an attitude, she was disrespectful and overall just wasn’t helping around the house. Regina was at her wits end with the girl and while Robin was trying to put his foot down so she didn’t always have to be the bad guy, but things had been busier at Aesop’s. Regina understood, it wasn’t her first teenage angst period, but not only did they have 2 other kids at home at the time, she was busy with her own job. They were both in over their heads, as much as they didn’t want to admit it.

 

He always respected his kids’ privacy. He said that if he had to be looking through their phones or their laptops, then they obviously couldn’t be trusted with them. They were good kids, outside their few periods of outbursts. Him running across Evie’s texts had been a true mistake. They had the same case (a custom one that Henry had made with Aesop’s label) and model, both didn’t put passcodes on them. So, when he opened it up and saw a text alert from Matilda- Evie’s best friend-he went to put it back down…until he saw what it said.

 

**_Matilda: Do your parents have any idea yet?_ **

 

That made Robin pause. He knew he should just put it down and let Evie come to him in time, but what if something bad was going on? What if she was in trouble? So, he set aside his guilt and scrolled up until something else caught his eyes, another text from Matilda.

 

**_Matilda: I think I want to find my biological parents._ **

 

Matilda had been adopted at a young age and was being raised by a single mother. It was how Regina and Honey had met, actually, at a play group for single parents when the girls were babies. Evie’s response was a bit harsher than Robin would expect from her.

 

**_Evie: Don’t do it. You’ll regret it._ **

**_Matilda: How do you know?_ **

**_Evie: Let’s just say I reached out to my biological mother recently._ **

**_Matilda: How bad?_ **

**_Evie: She made it clear she wants nothing to do with me._ **

 

Robin let the phone drop onto the plush carpeting and sunk down on the couch. Evie had first asked about Zelena when she was 8 years old. Bryony knew that her biological father was a sperm donor and that Regina had gotten pregnant with her on her own. Explaining Zelena to Evie had been a bit tougher. She didn’t understand why she didn’t want anything to do with her, as if she had done something wrong. Regina and Robin had worked hard to make sure she knew it wasn’t, telling her that she could come to them if she had any questions.

 

8 years later and clearly she wanted to get her answers from the source.

 

He could’ve predicted Zelena’s answers from a mile away. She had signed off on the adoption so fast, she was out before the ink even dried. Suddenly, everything made sense.

 

Regina wasn’t home yet and he wasn’t sure if he could wait for her to talk with Evie about it, not without going crazy.

 

He headed up to the attic bedroom that she and Bryony shared, it had changed so much over the years and reflected both of their personalities. Mixes of light pastels and bright stripes, two beds on either side with bedspreads that matched their respective walls. Bryony was out at basketball practice, so Evie was alone on her bed, sketching in a book. He walked over to her, dropping down on the bed.

 

“You left this downstairs,” he said when she looked up, handing it over. She just took it and was about to return to her book, but he kept his gaze on hers.

“Did you want something else?”

“We should probably get different cases for our phones.”

She stiffened and lowered her pencils, pushing the pad to the side. “What did you see?”

“That you contacted Zelena.” An uncomfortable silence filled the room. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I knew you’d be upset.”

“I’m not upset. I’m just…confused. You didn’t seem interested.”

Evie shrugged, gnawing on her bottom lip. “We had to do a family tree project for school and of course I had you and Mom’s sides…I guess it just got me thinking about her. Why she gave me up…maybe enough time had passed…so I found her Facebook information and…” She shook her head. “Look, it doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want anything to do with me. I’m sorry about my attitude lately, I’ll be better. Can we just not talk about this anymore?”

 

Robin studied her face, seeing the heartbreak behind her eyes. It was the same he saw all those years ago when she found out about Zelena in the first place. It was enough to make him want to track her down and scream at her for all the pain she had caused the family.

 

“What did she say to you, Evie?”

“Dad…”

“What did she say?”

 

Evie sighed and picked her phone back up, scrolling through her photos until she came across the screen shot. She had been reading it and re-reading it for day. It wasn’t very long, just basically saying that she had no interest in contact and that she was going to be blocking Evie so it didn’t happen again, that she never wanted to be a mom. Robin read it all before looking back up at her, his heart low in his chest. It was selfishly an answer he was okay with, he didn’t want her back in their lives. Zelena wasn’t fit to be a mother, she never was. Yet, how could be so glad when his little girl’s heart was clearly broken?

 

“She didn’t want me, I thought maybe…maybe she gave me up because we didn’t have a connection…”

“She never held Bryony, sweetheart,” he whispered.

“I know that now. And that makes it worse, I was trying to put blame on my own sister of all people.”

“Hey, you didn’t mean anything malicious by it.”

“It’s just…” She let out a deep breath. “I’ve listened to Bryony for years, how she felt rejected by Cora, how she was swapped out like a toy a kid didn’t want on Christmas. And I never got how that felt, not really. Until I got this message and now it hurts and I don’t know how to shut that off.”

 

Tears were pouring down her face and Robin couldn’t hold it back anymore. He wrapped his daughter in his arms, rubbing her back. One other thing he had to learn was how to comfort her and he thought he had that down pretty good too.

 

“Neither of you are rejects.”

“Why doesn’t she want me, Daddy?”

That sentence alone broke his heart. “I don’t know, Princess, I really don’t. Some people just aren’t cut out to be mothers.”

“Yet, I have a mom, who loves me and I did this.”

“That doesn’t make it hurt any less.” He carded his fingers through her hair. “And it doesn’t mean that you deserve this.”

 

Fumbling for the phone as she sobbed into his sweatshirt, he dialed for the pizza place, ordering her favorite. Regina and his other kids wouldn’t be back from the away game until late, so it was just him and Evie. He’d do his best to fix this broken heart.

* * *

Teenage Evie Locksley-Mills

Olivia Rose Keegan

 

Teenage Bryony Locksley-Mills

Vanessa Marano

 


	5. The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a prompt, but in response to the last one shot, someone said they were surprised that the girls knew that Cora switched them. I realized I never really went into detail about how they found that out...

It was their first ever dance, which meant Bryony and Evie were buzzing with excitement. It was nothing big, just a junior high dance in the cafeteria. Still, they were super excited to finally be “grown up enough” to go to something like that. They already had their outfits picked out, they just needed a few more accessories to go along with the outfits. Since Regina had gone to take their little sibling to the doctor, they hurried to her closet and started going through it.

 

“What about this?” Bryony asked, pulling out a black fedora and placing it on her head.

“Oh, that would go great with this.” Evie handed her a silver star necklace she had found in her mom’s jewelry box. “I want to wear these, though.” She held up a pair of gold earrings.”

“Those would go perfect with this.”

 

Bryony went to grab one of her mom’s scarves when she saw a shoe box. Her mom’s feet were pretty small, so at that point, they had the same size. She pulled it out, ready to see if it’d go with her carefully put together outfit and took off the lid. To her surprise, there were just a bunch of papers inside. Bryony frowned, pulling them out.

 

“What is all that?”

“I don’t know, a bunch of court stuff, transcripts. I think it’s from when Mom and Dad were adopting us.”

 

Evie shrugged and went back to searching for more stuff as Bryony reached the bottom of the box. She found a letter neatly written on stationary she had never seen before. It was a letter to her mother, though she didn’t know the sender at first. She read the first few lines, feeling confused. Then she got to the part no one had ever told her.

 

_When you had Evie, both of you had complications. They were trying to save you from the C-Section and for a moment, they were worried about Evie as well. She was 2 weeks early and was having some medical issues. I knew that you couldn’t be burdened with a child who could possibly spend her life needing constant medical care, so I once again stepped in and did what I needed to do._

It was from Cora, her mother’s mother. She had been the person to switch her and Evie.

 

When the girls had gotten old enough to be told the truth about everything, Robin and Regina hadn’t gone into that much detail. They just said that a mistake was made and it took three years to make it right. Now, here it was, in blue ink. Her grandmother had decided that she wasn’t good enough to be a part of the family…simply because she was sick.

 

Her hand floated to her hearing aid and frowned. All her life, she had to deal with people not accepting her or thinking she could do less because she was deaf in one ear. She never expected it from her own family, from her own grandmother. She had been tossed aside like a pair of unwanted shoes, swapped out for a healthy baby.

 

“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Bryony grumbled, dropping everything she was holding to the floor.

 

Regina and Robin came home a little later, heading up to their room when their girls were nowhere in sight. They found Evie sitting on their bed, looking a little guilty.

 

“What’s going on?” Regina asked.

“We were um…we were looking for your closet for accessories for the dance.”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “Are you supposed to go through my stuff without permission?”

“Well…no. But that’s not the worst of what happened. Bryony found this box and in it…was this.” She handed the letter over to her parents.

 

The two looked it over, their eyes widening. Regina had only held onto that letter for all those years since it had become a part of the court case. They had to prove that neither of them had abandoned their girls and that it was all orchestrated out of their hands. They had never told the girls about Cora’s role in things, they never wanted them to feel bad.

 

“I…I need to talk to Bryony,” Regina stammered.

“I’ll stay here and talk it over with Evie,” Robin said, dropping down next to his daughter.

Evie shrugged. “I’m fine. I’m not the one who just found out I was rejected.”

“Evie.”

“I’m not saying it to be mean! I tried talking to her and that’s what she said!”

 

Regina sighed and headed upstairs to the attic bedroom the girls began sharing when they were 7. They had started off sharing a room when Regina had their little sibling, but soon discovered the finished attic and begged their parents to let them move up there. Even with Henry out of the house, and Roland on his way there, they still had no intentions of going back to their old rooms. She found her daughter curled up on her bed, staring off into space.

 

“So…you found the letter.”

Bryony didn’t even blink. “Yeah.”

“You shouldn’t be going through my things.”

“Yeah…well…wasn’t looking for this.”

Regina bit her lip and sat next to her. “Mother was wrong to do what she did, Bryony.”

“Look, it’s nothing new. I’ve been rejected my whole life.”

“Not by me, or Daddy, or your siblings…”

“You guys aren’t the only people in the world.” Bryony sat up, grabbing hold of her stuffed bunny (which had seen better days), holding it tightly to her chest.

“I know. And as someone who grew up with Cora Mills, I can tell you, it hurts to feel this way.”

“Would you have not wanted me from the beginning if you knew I was sick?”

“Of course I would’ve,” Regina said, automatically. “Sweetheart, I love you. I carried you in my stomach for eight and a half months. Nothing would ever make me not want you. When I got this letter, I was so angry with her for making this choice for me, because it’s not one I would’ve. You having health problems doesn’t mean that you’re any less deserving of love.”

“She seemed to think so.”

“And that’s why she died alone.” Regina took her hand. “I know this hurts and I know I can’t fix it all in one conversation. Just know that Daddy and I love you, more than anything. We never wanted you to find out about this.”

Bryony shrugged. “It’s my own fault. I went through your stuff.”

“Doesn’t mean you deserve to feel this hurt.” She kissed her forehead. “You wanna know something, though? You were chosen, Bryony Kate. You were chosen by your father and by me. You aren’t a reject, I promise you that.”

 

She nodded, but Regina could still see the doubt in her eyes. In that moment, all the anger she held towards Cora came rushing back. She had worked so hard to make sure that her kids never felt the way she did growing up and now, one of them did.


	6. Henry's Worries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Day Six (Saturday) of @oqpromptparty.
> 
> #137: Henry worries about his mother and confides in Robin.

From the moment Regina had been placed on bedrest, everything in the house had shifted. Robin was picking up the slack and trying to balance the kids along with his business. Luckily, Mal and Will came over as much as they could to help out. Mary Margaret took the younger ones a lot and even John would try to convince Robin to forget about the bar and just relax.

 

But one person was working just as hard as Robin was and that was Henry. He had stopped hanging out with his friends after school and took on a lot of the chores, without even being asked. He helped the younger kids with their homework and tucked them into bed. If Robin had to dash to the bar at night, he’d make sure that everyone was okay. Despite both Robin and Regina telling him it wasn’t necessary, he didn’t seem to want to listen.

 

Robin knew that there had to be more going on. Henry seemed so stressed, he was taking on far too much responsibility, more than a child his age should. It wasn’t even necessary, with all the adults pitching in, everything was going to be okay.

 

So, when the kids were at yet another playdate at the Nolans, Robin decided to take Henry hiking. It was one of their favorite activities to do together and normally they had to do the easy trails because of everyone else, but that day, they could venture around as much as they wanted.

 

“Henry, I know you’ve been doing more than your fair share as of late,” Robin said after a half hour of walking in silence.

Henry shrugged. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It is. Bud, you don’t need to do all of this. You’re still a kid.”

“Yeah, but I’m just getting ready. In case…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Never mind.”

“No, talk to me.” He placed a hand on his arm. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

Henry sighed, biting his lip. “When Mom was pregnant with Evie…or well, Bryony, I guess…she got sick. She had to go to the hospital and she delivered early. I remember overhearing my mom talking to Aunt Mal about getting her affairs in order…just in case.”

“I’m sure that was very scary for you.”

“It was. Then…she was okay. She was fine. And I thought it’d stay that way…until she got pregnant again. It’s not as bad as before, at least she gets to be on bedrest at home this time but…” He bit his lip. “I’m scared, again. What if something happens to her? The other day I found myself angry at this baby because it’s hurting her and that’s not fair to them, they can’t help it. If something happens to her…what if I can’t love this baby?”

 

Robin felt his heart sink his chest. Henry’s fears had been his own, way back when Marian was pregnant. She found out the pregnancy was high risk, that either she or Roland could die during any part of it. Yet, she soldiered on and in the end, it cost her, her life. When Robin got word, he was scared to hold Roland, scared that he would resent the newborn’s existence.

 

Yet, when he finally did, he saw nothing but his son. This precious baby boy was all he had left of his beautiful wife and he would protect him with all he had.

 

He also knew that Regina wasn’t Marian.

 

“Henry, the doctor told your mom this isn’t like last time,” Robin said. “Yes, she’s on bedrest and will need another C-Section, but the whole point is to avoid what did happen last time. She’s going to be okay, the baby is too.”

“How do you know that? Anything can happen.”

“You’re right, it can. It happened to my first wife.”

Henry frowned. “I forgot about that.”

“And it’s okay to be scared, to be afraid. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t sure how I would handle Roland after Marian died. When I held him, though, I knew that he was my son. I knew that it wasn’t his fault and that he just needed me.”

“I’m still scared, Dad,” Henry whispered. “I love Roland, Bryony and Evie so much. I’m scared of not feeling the same with this baby.”

“You will. I know it, because you are a good boy, Henry. You have a huge heart and you’re rational. All these fears and the anxiety will go away once your mother has this baby, I promise.”

 

Henry was still skeptical and he would be until the day that Regina gave birth. She was healthy and so was the baby.

 

When Henry held his new little sibling, he felt stupid for ever being angry at them. Robin assured him that it was human and that it didn’t matter anymore. This baby would be loved and taken care of, just like the rest of the Locksley-Mills family.


	7. Mother's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @queen-of-the-merry-men: I have a request of the Confessions verse family experiencing their first mothers day together
> 
>  
> 
> Since it’s currently fall in the series, this takes place about 7 or so months later and during a time where things are awkward between OQ. I tried not to spoil anything, but you guys may be able to tell what’s going on. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. :)

Things were still awkward between Regina and Robin ever since that night, but he knew that he had to shove that aside. Mother’s Day was coming up and it was going to be the first he’d actually get to spend with one of the mothers of his children. He had given Marian flowers and a necklace when she was pregnant with Roland, but since she died in childbirth, they never had another. When Zelena took off, it wasn’t like he was going to be sending her cards or Bryony’s handprints. So, normally he took the kids to visit Marian’s grave, they’d get lunch and then the rest of the day would be normal.

 

Now, things were different. He had Regina to celebrate. He wasn’t sure what they did, so he turned to Henry for help.

 

“Evie and I normally make Mom breakfast in bed,” he said. “Then we watch T.V for a bit. When Grandma was alive, we’d go out to lunch with her, but now we normally go out with Aunt Mal and Lily. They’re not in town this year, though.”

“Well, maybe this year we could all go out to lunch as a family. And I could help you with breakfast in bed.”

Henry grinned. “That sounds good.”

 

The third Sunday in May, Robin woke up early with Roland, heading down to the cemetery. Bryony was always too young to get what was going on and she had her mother this year, so it was nice to have it just be him and his son. They laid the flowers down and Roland started talking to the headstone. Robin wasn’t sure what his beliefs were, but it brought comfort to his son when he talked to his mother, so he never said anything about it.

 

“Daddy’s married again,” Roland said, which caught Robin out of his thoughts. “She’s really nice and she gives good hugs, her name’s Regina. I call her Mommy sometimes and she says that’s okay…’cause you’re not here. I hope that’s okay.”

Robin rubbed his back. “Of course it’s okay. You know Regina loves you, same as Bryony, Evie and Henry.”

“It’s okay to have two mommies?”

“Of course it is.”

 

Robin began to wonder to himself if it was okay for him to let go and fall in love again. He hadn’t loved Zelena and Regina had been the first person he had been with since then. Was it really okay to let go? To be fully committed to her and love her in the way that a husband loved a wife? Was it fair to Marian?

 

God, he loved Regina. There was no doubting that, he just wasn’t sure if he was ready to let go.

 

They went back to the house in time to greet Henry and the girls when they woke up. They all huddled in the kitchen, making breakfast together. Henry and Robin were on French toast duty, while Roland helped the girls with the juice and fruit. Robin looked around the kitchen, smiling at Bryony and Evie actually working together, joking around with Roland, calling over to Henry to see what they were doing. They were like an actual family.

 

“Alright,” Robin said as he poured the coffee into a mug. “Why don’t you guys go get the stuff you made for your mom in school and then we can go up there?” He had a feeling that Regina was awake, with the amount of noise they made that was inevitable. However, she had been a mom for nearly 11 years at that point. She knew better than to ruin the surprise.

 

Once they had gathered up their handmade crafts, Robin slid his own box into his pocket and grabbed hold of the tray, following the kids upstairs. Evie and Bryony pushed open the door, jumping onto the bed. Regina pretended to wake up, forcing a yawn.

 

“What’s all this?” She asked.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” All the kids shouted.

Regina grinned. “Well, this is quite the surprise.”

 

The kids gave her the gifts, different cards and macaroni necklaces or drawings. Henry had sketched up a pretty realistic looking portrait which made Regina smile extra hard. Robin settled the tray down on top of her lap and she looked up at him with a small smile.

 

“Thanks,” she said, cuddling Evie and Bryony closer to her.

He shrugged. “The kids helped, I was mostly there to use the stove.”

“No pop tarts or cereal this year, Mom,” Henry cut in with a smirk.

“Well this smells delicious,” Regina smiled. “Did you all eat already?”

 

The kids talked about their own breakfast while she ate and they all watched some cartoons. Robin sat at the edge of the bed, taking it all in. It was their first Mother’s Day as a family, Bryony and Roland’s first Mother’s Day period and it felt…right. The kids were happy, acting like the siblings they were. Regina was smiling fully for the first time since that night and it was like nothing was wrong.

 

Eventually, Regina sent the kids to get dressed, saying she wanted to take a nice walk. As she got out of bed, Robin walked in front of her, causing her to pause for a minute.

 

“I um, I got you something,” he said.

“Oh…Robin, you didn’t have to…”

“I wanted to. You’re the mother of my kids. It’s what fathers do, right? At least it’s what mine did.”

 

Regina chuckled a bit, remembering her own father attempting with Cora a few times over the years. She had been so ungrateful, saying that she wasn’t Henry’s mother. Heck, she hadn’t exactly been very grateful with the gifts that Regina gave her either. It was why Regina treated each and every gift she got from her kids with great care and excitement. She’d do the same with their father, despite how awkward things were between them.

 

She accepted the box from him and flipped it open. Inside was a silver locket, with an arrow on it. She flipped it open and gasped. Inside were near identical pictures, taken obviously right after the girls were born. One had Henry holding Evie, while the other was Roland holding Bryony. She traced the two pictures, tears welling up in her eyes.

 

“I had a little help with Henry for the one of him and Evie,” Robin explained. “The other one…it was always my favorite picture of Roland and Bry.”

“It’s perfect,” she whispered. She looked up at him, smiling. “Thanks. This is…this is really nice, Robin.”

“No problem. Happy Mother’s Day, Regina. And thank you. You took care of my daughter when I couldn’t.”

“Well, you did the same with mine.”


	8. Shooting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on a plot twist that I was sent, but with a bit of a happier ending (if you could call it that?). For OQ AngstFest...Prompts: 20, 28, 35, 38, 42

Regina had been nervous when Evie said she wanted to move out to California for college. It was all the way across the country and it wasn’t like she could drive there quickly if anything went wrong. Evie also had a huge heart. A good kid, she cared about others, but she went out of her way to help people and that sometimes could land her in a boatload of trouble.

 

Robin had talked her into it. He reminded her that because of her big heart, it meant she was a smart kid, a good kid. She could take care of herself, he trusted her. He trusted that she could handle all of what life threw at her.

 

“It’s time we let her spread her wings,” he had told Regina after they had visited San Diego State University.

 

So, Regina had relented. On the condition that Evie called at least once a week and e-mailed frequently so they knew she was alive, she could go out west.

 

The day they dropped her off at her dorm and headed back to the airport was the hardest of Regina’s life. This was the fourth child she was putting through college (they had already dropped Bryony off in Boston) and this was the furthest any of them had gone. She had been worried when Henry chose New York, but that was nothing compared to what was going on now.

 

Overtime, Evie seemed to prove that she was doing just fine. Her first semester she made the Dean’s list and showed off lots of friends on Facebook. She even worked a part time job during all of it. She seemed like superwoman in Regina’s eyes and Robin just reminded her that she took after her mom, so hardworking and sociable.

 

Little did they know, despite how great she was doing…Evie was holding back a huge secret.

 

Regina would never forget the day she got the call. She had just gotten through putting together a seating chart for a wedding she was planning when an unfamiliar number came through her personal phone. She almost pressed ignore, thinking it might be a sales call, but then she noticed it was a California number. Sliding the green bar over, she held the phone to her ear.

 

“Hello?”

“Is this Regina Locksley Mills?”

“Yes, this is she.”

“My name is Detective Weaver, I’m calling you from San Diego.”

Regina’s heart shot to the bottom of her stomach. “Is my daughter okay?”

“I’m sorry to report that she’s just been rushed to the hospital. She suffered a gunshot wound.”

“A gunshot wound?!?” Regina jumped out of her seat. “Wait, wait, I’m confused. Was she mugged?” She began pacing the area around her desk. This was what she was afraid of. San Diego wasn’t like Storybrooke, there was far more crime. “Who did this to her?” The tears burned in her eyes and it was taking all she had not to cry.

“Mrs. Locksley Mills, your daughter wasn’t mugged. She was at a known drug dealer’s house when a rival cased the place?”

“Is she…is she okay?”

“She’s in critical condition. The hospital will have more information for you.”

 

Weaver gave her the name and Regina quickly scrawled it down, throwing open her laptop to look up the first flight to California. Henry could look after his younger sibling, she’d go get Robin at work. As she was typing in the travel website, she swallowed a bit.

 

“Detective…what was the drug dealer’s name?”

“Zelena Greene.”

* * *

 

Robin had once thought the longest ride of his life was when he got the call that there was a baby for him at the hospital. He hadn’t even known that Zelena was pregnant and suddenly, there was her baby waiting on him. A little girl that was his, that would be his daughter.

 

Little did he know at the time that someone had interfered and he wouldn’t end up with the baby Zelena had delivered, but he had still be afraid.

 

That was nothing compared to the ride to the airport, followed by the nearly 6 hour flight to California. It was about as silent as the first ride, Regina hadn’t said anything since breaking into Aesop’s, tears streaming down her face. He had shouted some orders at Will, confirmed that their youngest child was being taken care of and off they went.

 

He thought of Zelena, the biological mother of his second daughter. He hadn’t heard a word from her since she signed away her rights, as far as he knew she had denied any contact with Evie. How had the two of them been in touch? Since when was Zelena a drug dealer? The last time he had known her, she had been a dancer, she was just trying to find her way in life.

 

How had he allowed any of this to happen? Regina had been convinced that California would be a bad idea, but he insisted. Evie was a good kid, she had her head screwed on straight. If it had been Bryony or Roland, he would’ve been worried. They were also good kids, but not the most responsible. Though, he wouldn’t have even expected them to get caught up with a drug dealer of all people.

 

He knew he couldn’t have predicted it, but guilt burned his gut. He was supposed to look out for his kids, he was supposed to tell when something bad was about to happen. Robin had known that Bryony wasn’t really meeting up with friends the night she snuck out to a wild party. He had known that Henry was dating someone in secret long before he introduced Jacinda to their family. The kids liked to joke that he not only had eyes in the back of his head, they followed them everywhere.

 

How could he have not seen this coming? How could he not have been able to protect his little girl?

 

What if he lost her?

 

Oh God, he could lose her.

 

Because of Cora, he had missed 3 years of her life and he had never been able to shake that. Over the years he had found ways to make up for it. They spent as much time together as they could, they bonded over soccer and cooking. He was the one she went to when her first boyfriend broke up with her. He knew how to make her smile, how to get her to open up. They had come a long way from the little girl that sobbed and claimed she didn’t want a father. They had 16 amazing years as father and daughter.

 

And Robin could lose it all due to some drug dealers with guns.

 

As soon as they landed, they got in a cab and headed to the hospital. They didn’t have a hotel room, their duffel bags were packed with things that Regina thought they’d need but they still weren’t sure of her condition. They got the run around at first, but when it became clear that they were the parents of the 19 year old that had been gunned down, they were directed to a doctor’s office where he explained it the best he could.

 

Evie had been found in Zelena’s apartment, she had been shot twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder. They had done surgery as soon as she arrived, but things were still pretty touch and go. Evie had lost a lot of blood and they had done a transfusion, yet the next few hours were going to be pretty crucial. Already, the bullet was going to hinder the use of her shoulder for the next year.

 

Zelena had gotten out of all of it unscathed, which angered both of them. They didn’t want her dead-or maybe Robin did, he wasn’t sure what was the anger in him and what was the rational-but the fact that she hadn’t been hurt and their little girl had was too much. She was arrested given the amount of drugs around, which meant less answers than anything. They were lead to Evie’s room and prepared that she’d be hooked up to some machines but they were all for her own good.

 

Seeing her laying there in that hospital bed, she seemed so tiny, so much younger than 19.  True to the doctor’s word, she was hooked up and her left arm was in a sling. Regina inched her way forward, pushing a strand of the young girl’s blonde hair out of her face. She kissed the center of her forehead and let out a deep breath.

 

“Oh Evie, what the hell happened?”

 

Robin walked to the other side of his daughter, taking his hand into hers. He noticed her self-made manicure, remembering back to the days when she’d paint his own nails. Shutting his eyes, he tried to picture her happy, healthy…only to have his heart break when they opened again.

 

“Are we good parents?” He whispered.

Regina looked up at him, surprised to hear his first words in over 6 hours. “Robin…”

“I mean, you’re a good mom,” Robin rambled on. “The best mom in the world. This is my fault, though. I told you we should let her go, I promised you she’d be fine and…”

“Hey.” Regina met his gaze and shook her head. “This isn’t your fault.”

“But…”

“This is the fault of the bastard that shot at her and we will make sure he pays for what he’s done. We didn’t do anything, you didn’t do anything.”

“We could lose her.”

“We’re not going to.”

 

He could see the doubt in her eyes, though and it scared him. Reaching over, he grabbed her free hand and they squeezed each other tightly.

 

“Just don’t blame yourself,” Regina continued, her voice in a whisper. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”

* * *

 

Evie didn’t wake up that night, but her vitals were good and according to the doctor, that was all they could ask for. While Regina called to Storybrooke to check on their children there, Robin put in a call to Boston. Henry had promised to let his siblings know and Bryony had been blowing up his phone, clearly worried about her sister.

 

“Daddy,” Bryony whispered as soon as he answered the phone.

“Hey Peanut,” he said, softly. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m scared. How is she?”

“Her vitals are good, that’s what matters.”

“Did they catch the guy who did it?”

“Yes. He and Zelena are both locked up right now.”

He could hear her swallow on the other end of the line. “Daddy, this is all my fault.”

Robin sighed. “Oh Bry…” Sometimes they were too much alike.

“No, just hear me out. I…I knew about Zelena.”

He paused. “What?”

“Evie told me. Zelena came into the café she worked for and she recognized her. She was a regular and they got to talking…soon Evie was hanging out at her place a lot, though she didn’t tell Zelena who she really was.”

Robin shut his eyes. “Did she know about the drugs?”

“…Yes.”

“And you did, too?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell your mother and I? Why did you lie to me?”

“Evie made me swear not to. She was afraid you’d make her come home.”

 

_Well, she wasn’t wrong._

 

This wasn’t the first time that Bryony and Evie had teamed up to hide things from their parents. This was just the first time that they had gotten away with it. Though, Robin was starting to wonder if that was true.

 

“I am so sorry, Dad,” Bryony continued. “I didn’t think this would happen.”

Robin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “This isn’t your fault, Peanut. It’s not Evie’s either. You two should’ve told us…but this was bigger than both of you. You couldn’t have stopped it from happening.”

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“I know you are. We’re going to talk more about it later, but I just need you to promise me that you’re going to take care of yourself.”

“I will.” A pause. “Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t be too hard on Evie when she wakes up. She…she just never wanted to hurt Mom.”

“Well, this isn’t exactly helping your mother either.”

* * *

 

Evie didn’t wake up for two more days. They had gone 36 hours without seeing those beautiful blue eyes and they had feared that they never would again, but she persevered. They didn’t talk about the situation much at first, they let the doctors run their tests and explain the injuries to her. She wouldn’t be able to return to school for a few weeks at least and her best bet would be to withdraw from the semester, retaking it at another point.

 

It wasn’t until hours later that they had the chance to sit down and talk about it. Evie looked between her parents and knew what was going to happen.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I never thought this would happen.”

“You knew Zelena was on drugs,” Regina said, not judgmental, just matter of fact. “Why would you go to her apartment?”

“I just…I wanted to know her. Maybe if she saw who I was…”

“Then she’d want you?”

Evie ducked her head. “It was stupid, I know that now.”

“You could’ve died, Evangeline,” Robin bit his lip, shaking his head. “We could’ve lost you.”

“I didn’t think this was going to happen. I…I never thought…”

 

Tears built up in her eyes. All she had wanted was to get to know her birth mom and it had gotten her shot. The memories of the men with the guns…

 

Robin and Regina saw the look in their daughters’ eyes and they each moved a hand to her arm. The lectures could wait. Their daughter needed time to heal, both emotionally and physically. They weren’t going anywhere, they were going to help her through this.


End file.
